


a tactical error

by helsinkibaby



Category: Hawaii Five-0 (2010)
Genre: Christmas, Community: 1-million-words, F/M, Fluff, Het, Romance, Season 8
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-24
Updated: 2020-12-24
Packaged: 2021-03-11 01:49:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 443
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28297047
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/helsinkibaby/pseuds/helsinkibaby
Summary: Steve isn’t usually given to tactical errors. However, this a Christmas, he’s made one or two.
Relationships: Noelani Cunha/Steve McGarrett
Comments: 2
Kudos: 10
Collections: 1 Million Words' Weekend Challenge





	a tactical error

**Author's Note:**

> For the weekend challenge - Christmas movie quotes. I may have mangled the quote. A lot.
> 
> This house is so full of people it makes me sick. When I grow up and get married, I’m living alone.” – Kevin McCallister

“There are too many people in this house.” 

Steve kept his voice low as he looked down at the buffet table, which was fairly groaning under the weight of all the food. Which as he appeared to be feeding, if not five thousand, then at least half of Hawaii, was definitely going to be required. Still though, the idea of turning them all out into the night - with food, he wasn’t a savage, no matter what Danny said - was looking better and better. 

And when Noelani glanced up at him, her eyes dancing with mirth, the temptation to shut the place down grew even stronger. 

“It’s your party,” she pointed out, as if he needed reminding. “The Annual McGarrett Christmas Eve gathering.” She sounded very amused. “You invited all these people.” 

Which was perfectly true, yet it didn’t help Steve in the slightest. Not when she was standing there beside him, looking like, as he had said earlier in front of Kamekona and Flippa, like a little Christmas gift. 

“That may have been a tactical error,” he allowed and the phrasing made her snicker. Because what he hadn’t said in front of Kamekona and Flippa, but what Noelani had easily intuited, was that he really wouldn’t mind being the one to unwrap her. Dozens of people in his house were not exactly conducive to such desires. 

But this party had been planned long before he and Noelani had become a thing and cancelling would have raised more questions than it was worth. Particularly as he and Noelani, both being more than familiar with the rumour mill and its rumblings, had opted to fly under the radar for the time being. 

Which he was now willing to admit might also have been a tactical error because he felt like he couldn’t take his eyes off her. 

“Too late now.” The singsong lilt of her voice left him tilting his head. 

“Are you enjoying my suffering?” 

He was either going for teasing or sympathy or some combination of the two. The look she gave him, however, was almost pitying. “Oh, Steve.” Her voice matched her expression. “If I wanted you to suffer, I’d just point out what I’m not wearing under this.” She held his gaze for just long enough for her meaning to hit, just long enough for his jaw to drop and his brain to short circuit and the temperature in the room to rise significantly. 

Then she spun on her heel, was across the room in a flash to talk to Tani and he still couldn’t take his eyes off her. 

It was, he thought, going to be a long, long night.


End file.
